


Firsts

by soongtypeprincess



Series: Married Coppers [6]
Category: Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Babies, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gay Parents, Gay Policemen in the 1970s, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 17:36:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14194158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soongtypeprincess/pseuds/soongtypeprincess
Summary: Ruthie's first word!





	Firsts

**Author's Note:**

> Another little domestic drabble, this time with 8 month-old Ruthie. 
> 
> I DO NOT OWN THE CANON LIFE ON MARS CHARACTERS!!

Gene pulled into the garage and turned off the engine. He exhaled, puffing his cheeks out as he leaned his head back..

For eight months, he and Sam have had to alternate their schedules. One of them would stay at home with Ruthie every three days, leaving Sundays to rest and spend time together. It was stressful for the first month having to balance each other’s paperwork, sorting out files, and updating one another on new intakes. It was rocky at first, but it would soon become a routine, although it was one that Gene wasn’t quite accustomed to yet.

Sam refused to put in Ruthie into day nursery. He claimed that she was too young and would be exposed, even though she had all of her necessary immunizations from the doctor. He and Gene had toured three of them, two of which were in the vicinity of the station, but Sam was still reluctant. It was a sensitive subject between them, with Gene insisting that they cannot keep their schedules like this for another three years.

_“Bright Roads Nursery seemed like a good one,” Gene muttered one night after they put Ruthie in her cot._

_“She’s not ready,” Sam said, folding her floor blanket and tossing it onto the settee._

_“You mean_ you’re _not ready.”_

_“Gene, I don’t feel like arguing tonight.”_

_“Who’s arguing?” he asked, sipping the Scotch he had poured for himself. He sighed as he sat in his recliner. “We need to put her in a nursery soon. She can’t just hang about with us all of the time.”_

_“We’re her parents,” Sam said._

_“Right, but she needs to be with other babies, doesn’t she? Isn’t that what it says in that baby book of yours?”_

_“You mean you cracked that book open finally?” Sam asked. “Wow, I’m impressed. It only took you eight months.” His sarcasm had ended the conversation._

Sitting in the Cortina now, thinking on this, he told himself not to broach the subject this night. He was quite tired himself and it was only a bloody Tuesday.

He walked out of the garage and pulled down the door to latch it shut. The sun was almost set and he looked across the street to see the elderly woman sitting in her rocking chair on her patio, knitting away another scarf.

Gene grinned and waved at her. “Evenin’, Mrs. Hutchinson.”

“Evenin’, love,” she replied, waving back at him. She continued with her knitting as he walked up their stoop.

He walked into the house to find Sam sitting on the floor with their camera pointed at Ruthie who was laying flat on her tummy and pressing herself up with her hands. She grunted as she pushed her body backward and a whine escaped her. “You’ve got it, girl,” Sam said. “Keep going.”

She had heard the door open and turned her head and squealed upon seeing her papa. Gene instantly smiled down at her, and all the tension he had felt that day seemed to melt off of him. “Hello, baby!” he greeted her, taking off his coat and hanging it on the stand by the door. “What are you doing, Gladys?” he asked Sam as he knelt behind her.

Ruthie sat up and scooted on her bottom to rotate her body so she could face Gene, who held out his hands. She had tried to crawl for the past week, but all she could do was push her body away from where she wanted to go. This prompted frustrated tantrums and impatient kicking of her short, chubby legs, but she kept trying.

“I swear, Guv,” Sam said, “she almost did it today! I’ve been keeping the camera close. Go on, love. Go to Papa.”

Gene patted the floor in front of him. “Get over here, girl,” he said in a playful voice. “Give us a kiss.”

Ruthie smiled and once again settled her weight on her hands and instantly pushed herself onto her tummy again. She grunted as she lifted again and put her knees on the floor and scooted forward back onto her tummy. She began to whine again and slapped her hands against the floor in frustration.

Gene moved closer and laid on his stomach to get on her level. “I know,” he told her, “it’s so hard.” He heard the clicking of the camera as he watched her. “You have to learn, baby.”

Ruthie lifted onto her hands again and this time pushed up with her feet, her little toes planted firmly. Gene put a hand in front of her so she wouldn’t fall forward.

“What is this?” Sam said. “Don’t stand on your head.”

They both laughed as Ruthie’s little whines grew louder when she landed on her tummy again. She laid her face in the carpet and cried.

“Oh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Gene whispered as he moved closer, still on his stomach. “Give it time.”

He kissed her head and her crying subsided. She lifted herself up into a sitting position and pouted her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Sam, you need to snap a picture of this,” Gene said, but Sam was already at his side. “Isn’t that a pitiful face?”

“She looks like you when she’s angry, you know,” Sam said, nudging him with his elbow before taking her picture.

Gene gently poked her bottom lip, saying, “Put that lip back.” She giggled and bounced on her bottom. “See, you’re alright.”

Ruthie reached out her tiny hands and placed them on top of Gene’s head and boosted herself onto her feet. She was able to stand with support, and she leaned against her papa as she moved along his shoulder. She reached his lower back and lifted one of her legs to climb on him.

“I thinks she wants to play Horsey,” Sam giggled.

“Papa’s too tired for Horsey,” Gene groaned, but he let her pull herself up, with Sam’s help, onto his back.

She only laid on her tummy, though, and pressed her cheek against his back.

“What’s she doing?” Gene asked.

“Being bloody adorable,” Sam said, taking another picture. “Look this way, Guv.”

As Gene turned his head to face the camera, they heard Ruthie speak.

“Guff!” she proclaimed.

Gene’s jaw dropped. “Did she just--?”

“I think she did!” Sam answered, his eyes wide. “Ruthie, what did you say?”

She only smiled at him and laughed.

“Ruthie,” Sam said as he motioned to Gene, “who is this? Who’s got you?”

“Guff!”

Sam threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. Gene’s body shook with laughter, as well, making Ruthie titter with amusement.

“No, baby,” Gene said, catching his breath. “I’m Papa.”

“Guff.”

“No, love. Papa! Pa-pa!”

“Guff…”

“No…” Gene laughed, putting his head in his hands.

Sam wiped the tears from his eyes as his laughing died down, and he leaned over and kissed Ruthie’s cheek. “Good girl.”

“It’s _your_ fault, you know,” Gene said.

“You’re welcome. I think it’s adorable. Her first word!” Sam told him as he checked her nappy. “Uh oh.”

“Did she poo?”

“Oh, yeah, that nappy is destroyed.”

Gene sighed and shook his head. “What a day…”

“You know the agreement,” Sam reminded him, “If you’ve got her--”

“You change her, yes, thank you!” Gene acknowledged. “Don’t know why we have that bloody rule when she always poos on _me_! Could you at least move her so that I can get up, please?”

Sam giggled and lifted her off his back. Gene grunted as he stood up and took her from him. “Whew!” he exclaimed. “Oh, baby, that is vile!”

Sam took the roll of film from the camera as Gene went upstairs to change Ruthie into a fresh nappy. He placed the spent film into its canister and placed it by the bowl where he kept his keys and wallet. In the eight months since Ruthie was born, Sam had already filled up five albums worth of pictures. Gene thought he was going mental, but Sam claimed that he didn’t want to miss anything.

Perhaps this was the reason why he wasn’t ready to put Ruthie into a nursery school. What if they missed a milestone? Sure, they had just been blessed by her first word, but what if she gets placed and she crawls for the first time and they’re not there to see it? What if they miss her first steps? Sam couldn’t bear the thought of it!

On the other hand, he could see the stress of their new schedule finally getting to Gene. He had no doubt that Gene enjoyed being home with Ruthie when it was his turn to do so, but they both had to work. Money was beginning to get tight.

Gwendolyn, Gene’s mum, who was on a pension, had offered to help out in order to enroll Ruthie. She was available to look after her, but not every day. Besides, Sam did not want to inconvenience her just because he was being stubborn about this whole nursery thing.

He sighed as he sat on the settee and rubbed his hands between his knees. As much as he would miss their days at home, he knew that she couldn’t stay in the house. Sam hated to admit when Gene was right but he agreed that Ruthie needed to be around other babies.

Sam heard Gene’s footsteps come down the stairs and he could smell the fresh powder as they approached him. Gene always used a bit too much powder when changing her, but they could proudly say that she never had rashes.

“What in God’s name did you feed her today?” Gene asked.

Sam grinned. “Well, she had yams for breakfast. Finished the whole jar, too.”

“No more for a while,” Gene said.

“That bad, eh?”

Gene sat beside him, Ruthie sitting in the crook of his arm. He shrugged. “Nah, I’ve seen worse crime scenes than that.”

Sam giggled and rubbed his hands together again. “I was just thinking…”

“Uh oh,” Gene smiled.

He smiled back. “I was thinking about...what you said the other day. You know, about Ruthie needing to be around other babies. And she’s got all of her jabs, so...maybe we can take her next week.”

Gene looked at Ruthie and then look back at Sam. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Sam reached over and stroked Ruthie’s cheek with his finger. “I just hope she does well.”

“I think you’re more worried about yourself.”

He nodded. “Yeah, you’re right there, Guv.”

“Guff…” Ruthie said, putting her hand on Gene’s cheek.

Gene giggled and kissed her hand. “It’ll be tough. Lord knows, we’ll both be nervous wrecks, and she’ll be a bit weepy for a while, as well, but it’s what’s best, yeah? It’ll get better.”

Sam nodded again and bit his lip to try to hold back the tears.

“Sammy,” Gene muttered. He leaned over and kissed his temple. “Stop it.”

“I’m alright.”

Gene just shook his head and continued to grin. “Anyway, this one will be able to poo on someone else besides Papa.”

“Guff,” Ruthie told him.

“Pa-pa,” he said. “Say it. Pa-pa.”

“Guff-ah!”

“Right, we can sort this out later,” he resigned.


End file.
